1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the printing and/or fabricating of sheet materials having multiple plies, and more particularly to a means of applying contact adhesive to the stock prior to the printing process in order to preclude the premature adhesion of adjacent sheets together prior to the printing process. The present invention enables the user to print and assemble such sheet stock (paper, etc.) using an adhesive which bonds with itself upon contact, rather than requiring specialized equipment for heating, moistening, or applying pressure to a different type of adhesive to join the forms together. Yet, the patterns of applied adhesive do not allow facing or adjacent sheets to bond together prior to the printing process and the subsequent collating and assembly of the sheets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of plural sheets for various business and other forms and documents has evolved to become a common procedure. Such forms often provide an original and one or more copies which are distributed to various parties, according to the accounting, tracking, or other system being used. Often, one sheet is folded to form an outer envelope, with a second (or additional) sheet(s) assembled therewith and folded therein. Accordingly, various printing, collating, and processing machines have been developed in order to enable businesses to construct, print, and distribute such multiple sheet forms and documents as required.
One common point required by all such documents, is some means of securing the various sheets together. This has in the past been accomplished by some type of adhesive which requires some actuation means (heat, pressure, moisture), or by mechanically crimping the individual sheets together. All of these sheet assembly means require some additional costly equipment over and above the printing, collating, folding, and bursting (document separating) equipment required for the production of such forms and documents.
An adhesive which would allow the individual sheets to be secured together automatically during the printing or collating process would be ideal, as the forms could be produced at considerably less cost by eliminating the need for an additional costly machine to supply the heat, pressure, moisture, or mechanical action required to secure the sheets together. The concept of using such a contact adhesive applied to the facing surfaces of a document to secure them together has been raised in the past. However, it has to this point proven unworkable, as the application of such adhesive prior to the printing process, causes the sheets to be bonded together prior to their being run through separate printing processes (e.g., document and cover sheet or envelope, etc.) and thus to be unusable for multiple sheet forms.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for some means of applying a contact adhesive, i.e., an adhesive which bonds automatically to an identical adhesive material applied to another article, to one or both sides of plural sheets of material, in a pattern or patterns which preclude contact between contact adhesive material on facing sheet surfaces of in registry sheets. Yet, the contact adhesive patterns should provide for the adhesion of selected sheets from different stock supplies, or non-adjacent sheets in the same stack or supply, as desired in order to secure the various sheets of a given form together automatically, thus saving the cost of specialized equipment serving to actuate other types of glues. A discussion of the prior art relating to the present invention of which the inventor is aware, and its differences from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,016 issued on Jul. 7, 1981 to William R. Wakeman et al. describes an Envelope Assembly wherein identical patterns of a contact adhesive material are applied to facing surfaces of a multiple ply document. Some of the contact adhesive extends inwardly from the borders of the sheets, to grip an internal sheet therebetween to preclude its movement within the envelope formed by the outer sheets. Wakeman et al. are silent regarding the means used to keep the two outer sheets from sticking together prior to assembly, while they are stacked together in storage prior to the printing and assembly process. It would appear that the continuous feed sheets would require an additional adhesive application machine immediately prior to the assembly of the sheets. The present invention provides a non-congruent adhesive pattern for facing surfaces prior to printing, thus allowing the sheets to have the contact adhesive applied prior to printing and yet preclude the adhesion of the facing surfaces of adjacent sheets together during storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,391 issued on Apr. 19, 1988 to Robert F. Wiseman describes a Temporarily And Permanently Sealable Envelope Or The Like, wherein the flap of the envelope has two different types of adhesive applied thereto. The primary adhesive is a moisture activated glue, which provides a permanent seal when activated. A secondary tab includes an adhesive which secures to an adjacent surface by means of light pressure, as in a Post-It.TM. note or the like. This is not a traditional contact adhesive as defined in the present disclosure, as this adhesive does not require an identical adhesive material on the opposite surface to which it is to be secured. Moreover, Wiseman provides a release sheet to cover his adhesive tab until adhesion is desired. No means of precluding adhesion of the facing surfaces by means of offsetting the contact adhesive patterns is disclosed, as provided by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,860 issued on Apr. 4, 1989 to Ruth Shapiro describes a Fragrance Releasing Envelope wherein a temporary adhesive includes microencapsulated fragrance mixed therein. Separating the temporary adhesive portions to open the envelope, ruptures the microcapsules and releases the fragrance. The envelope is sealed prior to use, with an end flap remaining open for the insertion of a card or other article into the envelope. This end flap is sealed using moisture activated adhesive, not a contact adhesive. No means is provided by Shapiro to preclude the sticking of the two temporary adhesive portions together before such adhesion is desired, as in the alternatingly staggered or offset contact adhesive patterns of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,864 issued on Aug. 28, 1990 to David Dicker describes a One-Piece Mailer And Apparatus For Folding Same, using moisture activated glue along the lateral edges of the blank. Dicker notes the disadvantages of heat activated adhesives in non-impact printers (e.g., laser), where a great deal of heat is generated during the printing process. This can cause such glues to be activated, which can damage the printer as well as destroy the article being printed. The contact adhesives used in the carrying out of the present invention are safe for use in such printers, as any heat will tend to reduce their surface tack and thus further preclude any chance that they may adhere weakly to some other article rather than an identical area of contact adhesive. Dicker further recognizes the problem with pre-application of contact adhesive along the edges of such envelope blanks, as he addresses only adhesives activated by some active agent (moisture, heat, etc.). The present invention precludes any requirement for the costly and complex moisture dispensing apparatus of the Dicker disclosure, and is adaptable to the construction of envelopes similar to the envelope of the Dicker patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,203 issued on Feb. 2, 1993 to Raymond W. Sanders describes a Multiple Purpose Certified Mail Envelope Assembly, wherein one panel of the envelope is provided in a continuous feed web and separate second panels and return receipt cards are glued to each of the first panels. A moisture activated glue is used, as identical patterns of contact adhesive applied to one surface of the panels in an interfolded continuous feed web would result in the alternating facing surfaces having the contact adhesive thereon and becoming stuck together during storage before processing and assembly into completed envelopes. The present invention, comprising alternating staggered patterns of contact adhesive application, could be applied to the Sanders envelope assembly to preclude need for complex and costly moisture application equipment for moisture activated adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,430 issued on Sep. 13, 1994 to George Baxter describes Non-Impact Printing Of Business Forms From Continuous Webs Having Adhesive Coatings, wherein a continuous rolled web has alternating segmented glue lines applied laterally to the opposite surfaces thereof. The continuous web sheet forms the central sheet of a three ply sandwich of sheets, with the other two sheets being coated continuously along the glue lines. The purpose of the alternating segmented glue lines of the Baxter patent is similar to that of the present contact adhesive patterns, but as the individual sheets comprising the continuous web never contact one another with their corresponding surfaces (i.e., front surface to front surface, or back to back, as in interfolded sheets), Baxter provides only for different patterns on opposite surfaces of the sheet. The Baxter glue patterns are identical over each segment on the front surface thereof, and identical over each segment on the back surface thereof, since in rolled web material only the front surface of one layer is in contact with the rear surface of the next overlying layer. The same surfaces (i.e., the first or front surface) of each segment never contact one another, as in interfolded sheets. Thus, the Baxter adhesive patterns on opposite surfaces are never in registry with one another, where as the adhesive patterns of one embodiment of the present invention are in alternating registry with one another on every other segment or sheet of an interfolded continuous web or in a stack of separate sheets. Accordingly, if one were to take the rolled web of Baxter and stack the individual sheets in an interfolded stack, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, each of the facing first and opposite second surfaces would adhere to one another, due to their identical adhesive patterns, creating a solid mass of inseparable sheets. On the other hand, if the Baxter segments were separated and stacked with each front surface in contact with the back surface of an adjacent sheet (i.e., all sheets facing in the same direction), then none of the sheets could be adhered to any other sheet having the same orientation. Also, Baxter describes the use of heat or pressure activated adhesives, rather than the contact adhesive used in the present invention. The present invention precludes contact between adhesive areas on identical surfaces of adjacent segments of interfolded continuous sheets, by providing alternating adhesive patterns on every other segment, unlike the identical pattern over the same surface provided by Baxter. The present invention is also applicable to stacks of separate sheets, unlike the Baxter adhesive pattern.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,410 issued on Nov. 22, 1994 to Leo Lombardo describes a Business Form With Transfer Tape And Repositional Adhesive, comprising a three ply document attachable to an appliance or other article. The document is assembled with permanent adhesive along the common periphery, with a pressure activated adhesive and machine therefor being described. Lombardo requires an adhesive which requires some activation means, as the adhesive lines are all in exact registry. The temporary adhesive means requires a release sheet, thus adding to the cost of the assembly. Lombardo is silent as to the possibility of using contact adhesive, and staggering the positions of the adhesive on the sheets in order to preclude their adhering together prior to final assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,532 issued on May 9, 1995 to James M. Raby describes ID Cards For Impact And Non-Impact Printers, wherein a rolled web of sheet material is used as a backing for the adhesively removable attachment of ID cards thereto. Raby does not disclose any means for preventing the rolled material from adhering to itself, but only one surface is disclosed with any adhesive thereon. It would appear that if this surface were folded over on itself, as in interfolded sheets, the adhesive would cause the faces to stick together. However, Raby is not concerned with this.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,223 issued on Oct. 31, 1995 to Heinz Focke et al. describes a Process For Coating Glue Spot Rows And Strips Onto Longitudinally Extending Blanks For Hinge-Lid Packs And Blanks Produced Thereby. The glue is provided on only one surface of the blank, and no means is provided to alternate the glue pattern to prevent facing contact glued panels from adhering to one another, as in the present invention. This is not important to Focke et al., as the glue is applied to the blanks during the manufacture of the packs, rather than beforehand, as in the present invention. Focke et al. are silent as to the type of glue used, but contact adhesive, as used in the present invention, would not work in the Focke et al. pack as no corresponding adhesive is applied to mating surfaces thereof, as would be required for a contact adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,255 issued on Nov. 7, 1995 to John Schildmeyer describes a Folded Business Form With Return Envelope, comprising a specially folded continuous feed sheet which is glued along the edges thereof to form the finished document. Contact adhesives cannot be used in the construction of the Schildmeyer form, as three of the four sections of each sheet segment used to form each document, have peripheral glue lines in registry with one another. Thus, adjacent sheets, or sections of sheets, would adhere to one another when stored in an interfolded stack if contact adhesive were to be used. The glue pattern used by Schildmeyer is identical on each document; no stagger is provided to preclude the gluing together of adjacent forms.
British Patent Publication No. 1,325,802 published on Aug. 8, 1973 describes Improvements Relating To The Sealing Of Waxed Fibreboard Containers, wherein a hot melt type glue is used to seal the container. The invention does not relate to contact adhesives, as the glue is only applied to points on one surface of the major flaps of the container in its flat, unfolded state. No mating adhesive is applied to the corresponding contact points on the minor flaps, to which the major flaps are sealed using the hot melt glue. The art of fiberboard containers is considerably removed from the printing of multiple ply documents, and such container blanks are not interfolded together as is the paper or other sheet material incorporating the present adhesive pattern invention.
Finally, British Patent Publication No. 2,225,766 published on Jun. 13, 1990 describes Self-Adhesive Label Strips wherein the labels are provided in a continuous sheet on a backing sheet having peripheral sprocket feed holes for a tractor feed printer. The invention is an incomplete separation between each of the labels, thus preventing a label from starting to peel from the backing sheet as it is processed through the printer, due to its connection with the adjoining labels on each side. The labels are secured to the backing sheet by a releasable adhesive, rather than being permanently bonded by contact adhesive, as used in the present invention. As the adhesive is captured between the backing sheet and the label, it is not exposed and thus the sheet cannot adhere to itself if it is interfolded. No relationship is seen to the present invention.
In addition to the above, the present inventor is aware of various different forms supplied by different manufacturers, and equipment for processing such forms. An example is the Transkrit InfoSeal.TM. system, which is used with equipment produced by the Pitney Bowes Company. This system uses a remoistenable (water activated) adhesive to seal the various forms provided, and requires a special folder or burster to be used with the system, which is capable of applying moisture to the glue. While a conventional folder may cost around $300 and up, a specialized device to apply moisture to such forms using remoistenable glue will cost on the order of $8,000 to $30,000. The present invention of contact adhesive patterns, when applied to forms typically processed in these machines, eliminates need for specialized and costly moisture applicators for such remoistenable glues, while still assuring that the forms will remain separated until they are deliberately assembled in final form.
Other systems which are used in the industry are the Moore Business Forms SealerMate.TM. and Standard Register ThermoBond.TM., both of which utilize heat activated adhesives. The equipment required to heat the pre-applied adhesive is quite costly, ranging from $8,000 and up. Also, the heat activated glues used in such equipment are toxic.
An alternative is pressure activated glues, as used in the Moore Business Forms and Uarco Pressure Seal systems. Again, the systems require additional specialized and costly equipment, on the order of $8,000 and up, just to seal the forms.
Some systems use a specialized machine to apply a liquid glue to the forms during the folding and sealing process, rather than using forms which have had the adhesive pre-applied. An example of such equipment is made by Uarco, under the name Glue Seal.TM., and costs on the order of $30,000. Another device serving to apply the glue at the time of folding and sealing the documents is sold under the name GluFold.TM., is quite costly to purchase and maintain, with initial purchase costs ranging from $45,000 to $75,000.
In addition, mechanical sealing means, of the type used with the Fast-Tab.TM. and TransKrit Quickmailer.TM. forms also require expensive machinery to crimp the edges of the documents together after printing and collating. Numerous other companies also produce equipment operating on all of the above principles.
The reason so many different systems have been developed is that to this point, no means has been developed to provide for the application of a contact adhesive to such forms, thereby allowing the forms to be sealed together without need for additional equipment, while still precluding the adhesion of the forms to one another in their stored state prior to printing and collating. The present invention provides for the application of self-adhering contact glues to sheets and forms prior to their printing and use, and may be used with virtually any of the printing, collating, folding, and bursting equipment of any of the above manufacturers without need for additional costly gluing equipment.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.